


cold

by khayr



Category: Dredd (2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Requests, otp: you look ready
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-21
Updated: 2014-02-21
Packaged: 2018-01-13 05:56:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1215205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khayr/pseuds/khayr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even Dredd hadn’t been able to maneuver his bike through all of the snow here. From the main highway they had quickly gotten themselves stranded… and there was another storm coming in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	cold

**Author's Note:**

> A request from a tumblr friend, and some much needed fluff. Please enjoy. c:

“You’re shivering.”  
  
Anderson didn’t need to be psychic to hear the lilt of concern in Dredd’s voice. They were far north from old Boston, snow up to their knees and daylight quickly disappearing. Big chunks of the city up this far were sparsely populated compared to the main sectors, and here there were whole buildings abandoned to both the elements and urban decay.   
  
Even Dredd hadn’t been able to maneuver his bike through all of the snow here. From the main highway they had quickly gotten themselves stranded… and there was another storm coming in.   
  
“I’m fine.” she ground out, absently rubbing the back of her arms before she set at dragging pieces of broken furniture out of the way and into a pile, boots sending dust swirling around her feet. The building hadn’t been lived in in years, but it would be enough shelter until a h-wagon made it up after the storm for extraction. Dredd looked as if he was ready to argue with her, but he moved on after a moment, hauling larger pieces in front of the doorway and shattered windows to block out the incoming snow.   
  
The sun had already slipped out of sight by the time they had finished, and Anderson was chilled to the bone. She was taking shallow breaths, curled against the wall furthest from the door. Dredd fumbled at the back of her utility belt before he fished out a pack of matches. Unlike the set he had, they were dry and still useable. He crossed the room to the pile she had collected earlier. “Can get a fire going if you give me a minute.”  
  
A few moments and serveral hissed curses later and the quiet crackle of a new flame came quickly enough. Dredd returned, settling beside her. Even as his larger weight sunk down alongside her she didn’t quite register him until his fingers slid against her flak vest to pull it off.  
  
“What-” she couldn’t quite focus her attention on him, but he cut off her protest with a soft grunt, beginning to tug his own gear off as well.  
  
“Come here,” he murmured quietly, scooping her into his lap, “You’re going to freeze to death.” She slid up against his chest after a moment, fingers curling into his shirt and a soft shudder slipping down her spine. For a few minutes she didn’t move; the pair sat in silence, Dredd’s hands skimming over her back and tugging her close. She shivered against him. He let out a soft _hmm_ and rested his chin on top of her head.  
  
“Cold,” she mumbled into him, “I’m never letting you pick out-of-sector cases again.” Something like a soft laugh rumbled in his chest. His tension eased bit by bit the more responsive she became, although they certainly weren’t in the clear yet. Warmth slowly spread through the room as the fire crackled on.  
  
“Hypothermia,” he corrected after a moment, brushing the hair from her face to check the color in her cheeks, “And deal.” Several minutes passed in relative quiet. Finally Anderson let out a soft cough and curled closer into him; her shivering had stopped, and her body finally felt warm against his. He knew he should pull away now that she was recovering… but his heart had him firmly refusing to move. He could accept that. Even in the glow of the temporary fire there was a chill at the edge of the room. Being terribly unprepared for cold weather (not a smart move on his part) the next logical step was body heat, naturally. He wasn’t sure the Chief Judge would see eye to eye with him on that one, but _she_ wasn’t freezing her ass off up here waiting for someone to bail them out. He’d just leave it out of his report… or ‘forget’ to file it entirely.

  
“Better?” he murmured softly into her hair, pressing a gentle kiss against her head, “It’s a good thing you’re here with me and not some snot-nosed rookie.” He didn’t doubt anyone else could have gotten her killed from exposure to the elements up here, and the thought left a painful clenching in the pit of his chest.   
  
“Mm,” she replied after a moment, face still burried in his chest, “Thank goodness for grumpy veteran Judges.” Even muffled he didn’t miss the lilt of amusement in her voice, and a momentary scowl crossed his features. Anderson let out a snort of laughter and extracted herself long enough to press her lips to the underside of his jaw, face crinkling at the scrape of his stubble. “You need to shave,” she grumbled in mock offense, settling back against him with the intent to doze off in the glow of the fire. Dredd grunted in response, sliding his arms lazily around her. Like hell. He’d saved her from the fate of freezing to death… she could deal with it.   
  
Outside of their makeshift hideout, snow began to fall.


End file.
